The amount of tomatoes I’ve harvested from my garden this year has been nothing short of astonishing. I was determined to grow enough so that I could live off tomato salads all summer long AND preserve many to enjoy throughout the winter…I’m well on my way to accomplishing this goal :)

I love this recipe, but make sure you’re prepared for a vinegary punch of flavor: it smacks you right in the face if you’re not expecting it! I plan to add these tasty tomato bites to winter salads; they also make a nice “nosh” when friends drop by.

Sweet Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

Yield:5 pints

This is a simple yet delicious way to preserve cherry tomatoes: all you have to do is place them into jars with the herbs and spices, then pour in the brine. For a tasty vinaigrette, blend 1 cup of the tomatoes (plus their liquid) with 1 cup of olive oil.

Directions:

Scald 5 pint jars in a large pot of simmering water fitted with a rack—you will use this pot to process the jars. Right before filling, put the jars on the counter. In a dry sauté pan over medium heat, toast the dill seeds and peppercorns. Divide the spices among the jars, using about 11/2 teaspoons per jar, then add 2 sprigs dill and 1 garlic clove to each jar. Pack the tomatoes evenly among the jars. Meanwhile, soak the lids in a pan of hot water to soften the rubber seal.

In a pot, bring the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a boil. Transfer the brine to a heat-proof pitcher and pour over the tomatoes, leaving a 1/2-inch space from the rim of the jar. Check the jars for air pockets, adding more brine if necessary to fill in gaps. Wipe the rims with a clean towel, seal with the lids, then screw on the bands until snug but not tight.

Place the jars in the pot with the rack and add enough water to cover the jars by about 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil and process the jars for 15 minutes (start the timer when the water reaches a boil). Turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for a few minutes. Remove the jars from the water and let cool completely.

And now for the giveaway. The sweet canning experts at Ball have offered up a Canning Discovery Kit (which includes 3 pint jars, a canning rack, an instruction booklet and recipes) to one of my readers, along with the fabulously trustworthy Ball Blue Book of Preserving.

This is a great giveaway for those of you new to canning!

Official Rules: No purchase necessary. Open to US residents over 18 years of age only. This giveaway will end on Sunday August 26th, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be selected.

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89 Comments

I’ve been busy canning plums and peaches already. I haven’t thought about canning cherry tomatoes, and the recipe above seems very easy. Since I have some beautiful red cherry tomatoes and also small yellow pear tomatoes I may make a batch tonight. The jar will be very pretty for sure.

I have always wanted to can but I currently live in an apartment and don’t have a garden or much space. :( I always tell myself when we move next I will have a house with a garden and I will start canning. This kit is something I could use now with produce from the farmer’s market. Small batch canning seems accessible for those of us in apartments. I’d love to give it a try. I think it would be a great introduction into the world that is canning.

This recipe sounds delicious. I have loved pickled vegetables all my life. In Italy, there is something called “giardiniera” which is a mixture of pickled cauliflower, carrots, peppers and sometimes a few other vegetables. It is served as an appetizer to stimulate the palate before dinner. Your tomatoes sound like they would taste very similar. I love anything pickled–the more vinegar the better! My family teases me about it all the time–they think my stomach is made of stainless steel! :) Thank you for hosting such a fun giveaway too. I am studying about canning right now because I have never tried it and really want to learn. I’m hoping to can at least one thing before the holidays so I can give homemade gifts to friends and family.

Since getting laid off from my job and resorting to part-time freelance work, I am planning to try canning (and doing anything I can do to save money). I was always an avid gardener, but this past year I’ve definitely increased how much food I grow. Having garden-fresh tomatoes year-round would be heaven!

So far, I’ve only made gardineria, pickling it to last for a few weeks in the fridge, and freezing some veggies, but I’m really anxious to try canning foods to store for long periods of time. Delicious tomatoes in Pittsburgh in December? It just might be possible for me! Thanks for posting this recipe and instructions.

Enjoy some of your tomatoes for me! I cannot grow them where I live due to our cool summers (about which I don’t complain), but fortunately I have a CSA box and the farmers’ market to keep me tomato-happy. Like Flavia, I love giardiniera and every now and then consider making it at home.

Those tomatoes look wonderful! I have only canned jam, but as young teen growing up would help my Mom can everything from our garden. Will have to try these tomatoes. Love the idea of cumin.Thank you you for the give away.

we, too, have more tomatoes than we know what to do with! i haven’t delved into canning tomatoes, as simmering in the crockpot all day and freezing just seems so much easier. but, i’d like to try it! :)

Just started canning and pickling this summer, and am trying out new recipes whenever I can. Must try this one, plus it looks beautiful in the jar! Would love a chance to win this set, so that I can be safer in the kitchen and perhaps finally claim myself as a home canner!

We love pickled cherry tomatoes! Even though cucumbers are our favorite pickled veggi’s, there are so many other great ideas. Thanks for all of your inventive ideas and great facts. I am always ready to to read more so keep it coming!

This recipe would make great Christmas gifts for our group of friends. Many of them love pickled anything, so these tomatoes would be a treat. The farmers market has lots of cherry tomatoes in different colors right now. A jar full of red, orange, yellow and purple tomatoes would look really great (and be tasty too)! Thanks for the giveaway.

I just found your facebook page and love it, I really need to know how to can and this would love to win. This is wicked kewl, we just moved out of the city and this would give me something new to do:)

So I had to check out “The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-doux.” (First I had to look up “Aigre-doux”…I believe it’s a French term for sweet and sour sauces.) Squealingly fabulous recipes! I wouldn’t know where to start…well maybe I would. Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Summer Berry Jam! Then maybe Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Brandied Figs just for fun. :)

I usually stick to jelly and was thrilled with my first batch of lemon jelly this year. I have also started picking! So far I have made pickled cucumbers (bread & butter and sweet & spicy), asparagus, and carrots. Tomorrow I will make my first pickled tomatoes. I can’t wait to try this out! Good luck with the giveaway everyone!

Me, and my family, are REALLY grateful for your sharing attitude and healthy contribution to our dining table and pantry. This is my first year back at canning and I have developed a passion for it also. (Thanks mainly to your directions.) I saw Ball at our local Lowes store and purchased their products. We like to support the companies that are giving members of the community. And Ball with their products fits that niche nicely.

I grow tomatoes to put up both chili sauce and salsa to get us through to next year. This does not solve the excess production of cherry and grape tomato plants!! This is the second new recipe within the week to use cherry tomatoes in delicious ways. Can’t wait to process some – and taste the results! Thanks

I love canning and just recently started getting back into a bit. I no longer have alot of people to feed but i now do it because the food is so much better and i can make my own pickle recipes. I love eating from my gardens in this way all winter long. When its snowing outside im eating awesome summer garden foods… I love it. The only thing i freeze now, because of winter power outages, is blueberries. I just made some awesome zucchini relish that you would never even know was zucchni. Great stuff…

Thanks for the tips I will try for the 1st time to save my excessive crop of cherry tomatoes

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My name is Winnie Abramson. This blog was once my full-time job but things have changed in the past few years: I'm currently a full-time nutrition coach for Stronger U Nutrition and a "sometimes" blogger here at HGK.
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